Little War

The Little War was fought from 26 August 1879 to 3 December 1880 when Cuban nationalists waged a war of independence against Spanish colonial rule. After some minor successes, the rebellion was defeated, and it was not until 1898 that Cuba won its independence.

Background
Following the end of the Ten Years' War in 1878, the Pact of Zanjon thwarted any pro-independence idea, and the discontent and dissatisfaction with the treaty and the breach of promises led to the Cubans rejecting the pact. Calixto Garcia, who had been exiled to New York City, organized the Cuban Revolutionary Committee with other revolutionaries, and, in 1878, Garcia issued a manifesto against Spanish rule of Cuba. This met with approval amongst other revolutionary leaders, and Guillermon Moncada hurried the uprising by entering the mountains near Santiago de Cuba.

War
On 26 August 1879, the insurrection against Spanish rule began. However, the rebels had a dire shortage of weapons and ammunition, and they lacked experienced leaders other than Garcia. The Cuban population only desired peace, lacking faith in the possibility of victory, and also lacking foreign allies who could support them during the war. In the west of the island, most of the revolutionary leaders were arrested, and the rest of the leaders were forced to capitulate between 1879 and 1880. By September 1880, the rebels had been completely defeated. There were not many battles during the war, and the capture or execution of rebel leaders instead served as Spanish victories. The Spanish made ineffective promises of reform, applying their 1876 constitution to Cuba in 1881. In addition, even though the Cubans were allowed to send representatives to the Cortes, they tended to be the most conservative Cubans. The lack of any reform led to the Cuban War of Independence 15 years later.